The siege of Lal Masjid (Urdu: لال مسجد محاصرہ; code-named Operation Sunrise[4][5][6]) was an armed confrontation in July 2007 between Islamic fundamentalist militants and the government of Pakistan, led by president Pervez Musharraf and prime minister Shaukat Aziz. The focal points of the operation were the Lal Masjid ("Red Mosque") and the Jamia Hafsa madrasah complex in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Since January 2006, Lal Masjid and the adjacent Jamia Hafsa madrasah had been operated by Islamic militants led by two brothers, Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid. This organisation advocated the imposition of Sharia (Islamic religious law) in Pakistan and openly called for the overthrow of the Pakistani government. Lal Masjid was in constant conflict with authorities in Islamabad for 18 months prior to the military operation. They engaged in violent demonstrations, destruction of property, kidnapping, arson, and armed clashes with the authorities. After a combination of events such as militants taking hostage the Chinese health care center's female workers and militants setting fire to the Ministry of Environment building and attacking the Army Rangers who guarded it, the military responded, and the siege of the Lal Masjid complex began. The military response was the result of not only pressure from locals but also diplomatic pressure from China.
The complex was besieged from 3 to 11 July 2007, while negotiations were attempted between the militants and the state's Shujaat Hussain and Ijaz-ul-Haq. Once negotiations failed, the complex was stormed and captured by the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group. The government reported that the operation resulted in 154 deaths, and the capture of 50 militants.[7][8] It also prompted pro-Taliban rebels along the Afghan border to nullify a 10-month-old peace agreement with the Pakistani government.[9] This event led to a surge in militancy and violence in Pakistan which resulted in more than 3,000 casualties in 2008.[10]
This article is part of a series about
Pervez Musharraf
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1999 coup d'état
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Elections
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2004
2007
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PML (Q)
All Pakistan Muslim League
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Siege of Lal Masjid
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Bibliography
In the Line of Fire: A Memoir
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^"Assault neither victory nor defeat". The News. 15 July 2007. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
^"Lal Masjid operation not a matter of victory or defeat: Musharraf". AAJ News. 14 July 2007. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
^"Siege of Pakistan's Lal Masjid Ends." Al Jazeera, 11 July 2007, www.aljazeera.com/news/2007/7/11/siege-of-pakistans-lal-masjid-ends. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.
"The decision to storm the mosque followed a week-long siege and came after the government said efforts to negotiate a peaceful end had broken down. Pakistan’s interior ministry says the operation dealt a big blow to what it called Islamic hardliners and that the strong response should teach them a lesson."
^"[Video Series] The Rise of the Pakistani Taliban," Global Bearings, 27 October 2011.
^Qudssia Akhlaque (12 July 2007). "It's 'Operation Sunrise' not 'Silence'". Dawn. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
^"Silence of the Dead in Islamabad". The Statesman. 11 July 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
^Cite error: The named reference nawaiwaqt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference univision was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Scores killed in Pakistan attacks". BBC News. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
^"Militants burn down girls' school in northwest Pakistan". M&C News. 4 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
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